Removal of a Bartholin gland cyst is a full-fledged surgical intervention, which can be performed not only as planned, but also on an emergency basis. The disease of the genital organ causes inconvenience and pain not only with intimacy, but also with active sports, prolonged sitting or just walking in advanced cases.
From a physiological point of view, a cyst is a cavity that was formed in an unnatural way. In clinical practice, the neoplasm does not have a strictly defined size, ranging from a small pea to the real diameter of a chicken egg. The main content is a liquid substance, which is the product of the work of the Bartholin gland itself.
Instead of being secreted in sufficient quantities during sexual contact, acting as a lubricant of natural origin, the duct of the output format is blocked. The biological fluid begins to accumulate instead of being released into the external environment and depart quite naturally.
Numerous reviews of women who have undergone surgery confirm the fact that pain is a companion of those affected by a cyst, even of a small size. Some short-sighted patients try to cope with the problem on their own, using lotions, compresses or other traditional medicine recipes. But getting rid of a cyst without involving a scalpel or a laser will not work out completely, it will only turn out to delay the inevitable, having endured an extensive inflammatory process.
Tips for patients
Not always a cavity with a problem fluid makes itself felt immediately after its inception. If the stage of suppuration has not yet come, then the girl may feel just a bump or unusual swelling in the intimate area. But since suppuration sometimes develops in a matter of days or even hours, it is better to immediately make an appointment with a gynecologist, and not wait for the worst development of events.
As soon as the immune system begins to weaken, this will indicate the start of a secondary infection. The cavity with biological material will begin to fill with purulent formations, raising the body temperature, and also signaling a sharp deterioration in the situation with other signs. When the suppuration mechanism starts, the woman will already encounter an abscess of the Bartholin gland, which in the medical classification indicates a complicated form of the disease.
The fact that the patient has a high chance of encountering a cyst in a short period of time is evidenced by several indirect factors. They are not one hundred percent precursors to the collection of secretions in the formed cavity, but they are called aspects of increased risk. The list includes the following diseases:
- infection with gonococci;
- urogenital candidiasis, which is popularly called simply thrush;
- ureaplasmosis;
- trichomoniasis;
- chlamydia.
Another item at risk is the weakened hygiene of the genital organs. It is this nuance that expands the circle of potential patients, since even teenage girls can become a victim of a cyst.
It is not necessary that after the discovery of even a large cyst, the victim will be redirected to the cancer center. As soon as it is confirmed that the neoplasm does not carry an oncological plaque, you do not have to worry. In the event of a planned surgical intervention, auxiliary tests and other examination options, if necessary, are additionally prescribed. Only after the doctor is convinced that the operation is the optimal solution, will the cyst be excised.
Moreover, different clinics offer their own package of basic services on a given issue. Today, most private medical centers use laser removal of an overgrown cavity that has an internal capsule for prolonged treatment. Radio wave treatment has proven to be successful, which is less traumatic than the classic scalpel procedure.
Ladies who have undergone manipulation note that modern technologies not only provide for less pain, but also guarantee a more aesthetic final result without loss of sensitivity of the genital organs. Also, innovative techniques guarantee a shortened postoperative period, which will appeal to those victims who cannot leave work for a long time.
The price of the operation directly depends on which excision format was chosen, as well as the type of anesthesia, the included preliminary examination, and consulting services for the period after removal. The cost also varies depending on the reputation of the chosen medical center and the qualifications of the gynecologist-surgeon.
Anxiety symptoms
Signs of the formation of a problem cavity are most clearly visible in the area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe gland itself. If the cyst is still small, then it does not cause significant discomfort even when having sex. But at the stage of suppuration, it is able to grow literally before our eyes.
The most characteristic symptoms that you should immediately contact your attending gynecologist are:
- swollen labia;
- rounded cone of any size;
- pain when moving or sitting for a long time.
Things get worse when the Bartholin gland becomes susceptible to the intervention of infection, which leads to the rapid development of bartholinitis. Such a turn becomes possible if pathogenic microorganisms that negatively affect the microflora of the vagina and external genital organs have entered the already diseased area.
Particularly dangerous:
- staphylococcus;
- gonococci;
- coli.
When the cyst becomes infected, starting to collect pus, the labia swell several times, and when you feel an unaesthetically looking area, the victim experiences acute pain. Walking, even slowly, becomes almost impossible. Some patients note that in the supine position, everything becomes even worse.
The appearance of an abscess is accompanied by a sharp increase in temperature by several degrees simultaneously with a rapid increase in the cyst up to eight centimeters in diameter.
At the final stage, there is a high percentage probability of self-opening of the focus with accumulated secrets and purulent accumulations. Such an outcome threatens with possible infection of nearby organs and tissues, therefore, in emergency situations, the patient can even be hospitalized in an ambulance in intensive care.
When the operation is relevant
Often there are stories of women who suffer from chronic inflammation of the Bartholin’s gland, experiencing periodic remissions. They use dubious means to neutralize pain in the intimate area, affecting the subsidence of inflammation. This leads to a decrease in the “ball”, but in fact this does not neutralize the cyst itself, provoking it to the accumulation of pus.
With constant inflammation of the glandular vestibule, which also covers the duct of the sex secretion generator, nonspecific conditionally pathogenic microorganisms enter the tissues and cells of the organ. Usually by this time the body loses its natural protection in the form of immunity, which is the key to a general deterioration in the resistance of a weakened organism.
In addition to a summary of the standard causes that prompt the gland to trigger a mechanism that negatively affects health, doctors also identify several atypical conditions. Among them, especially often, the primary source of the disease is trauma to the epidermis, which occurs due to:
- constant irritation of the skin;
- wearing tight underwear;
- epilation of the deep bikini zone.
Surgical termination of pregnancy is no less dangerous. It is often accompanied by classic bartholinitis, which is only then able to provoke a cyst on the other side of the gland.
Medicine knows cases when a cavity with a secret begins to interfere with normal life after a recent sexual intercourse, which turned out to be too traumatic for a woman.
To get rid of discomfort, as well as risks in the future to face more serious manifestations of abnormalities such as an abscess with pus, the representatives of the weaker sex are shown removing the cyst. The main indications for the procedure are:
- swelling of the labia minora;
- inflammation, which is already turning into suppuration;
- feeling of pressure on the external genitalia.
A distinctive advantage of the intervention is the ability to carry it out immediately, immediately on the day of treatment, if such a need is considered acute. Only a doctor on the spot after a thorough examination can say whether it is worth postponing the procedure for another day in order to have time to pass tests and conduct an allergic test for drugs from the anesthesia complex.
But if the cyst has already reached an impressive size, causing inconvenience and pain to the victim, then it is better to get ahead of opening the cavity in a natural way. The doctor removes the entire Bartholin’s gland, simultaneously prescribing a complex of antibiotics.
Some clinics still offer visitors who are far from medicine to use the drainage system. But from a practical point of view, the scheme has more disadvantages than advantages. It implies frequent relapses, which entails repeated visits to the hospital, forcing the young lady to go through all the pain of healing again.
The meaning of drainage is based on blocking the duct with a special catheter, which is then dismantled only after complete healing with epithelialization.
Classification of operations
There are several ways to get rid of a cyst. And often they both rely on local anesthesia. Only increased pain is a contraindication here, which automatically indicates the need to use general anesthesia. But for the most part, women prefer to endure rather than subject the cardiovascular system to an increased load during general anesthesia. The surgeon has the last word.
Schematically, all approaches to getting rid of a cavity with a secret are divided into:
- marsupialization;
- husking.
But sometimes gentle workarounds just don’t work. In the presence of serious complications, it will be more productive to remove the entire organ entirely. Together with the gland, the doctor removes the duct. Since the technique has several side effects, such as the lack of lubrication, it is practiced extremely rarely only in matters of saving the life of the patient.
Most often, patients manage marsupialization. The measure does an excellent job in situations where the victim is faced with regular relapses. Surgical intervention is based on the new formation of the duct along with the opening.
Marsupialization is necessary to further restore the patency of the excretory duct in order to effectively improve the functionality of the gland in the future. It is also aimed at eliminating possible post-inflammatory consequences that lead to the formation of abscesses in the cyst cavity.
When operating on a place that outwardly seems to be the most swollen, an incision is made on the mucosa. An identical action is carried out on the cyst. After that, the cavity is washed with special solutions, so that later the cyst shell is sewn to the area of the labia mucosa. Such scrupulousness is the key to the construction of a new excretory duct.
Some gynecologists, under the guise of classical marsupialization, open the cyst without any additional measures. This means that the contents are cleaned, and then washing is prescribed. The epithelium simply does not have time to take on a protective film.
Experienced experts insist that this is not only harmful, but also almost always leads to a repetition of the picture: the duct will become blocked; the cyst will re-grow.
It is much more effective to install a catheter that contains a bubble inside. It is designed to stand for several weeks, which is quite enough to form a bypass channel with minimal chances of recurrence even after a few years.
For all of the above, local anesthesia is relevant. And if, at the end of the procedure, the woman feels normal, then she is not kept in the hospital, but sent home. A mandatory precaution here is the rejection of sexual contact for at least a month.
Much more difficult in terms of technology is the husking of a Bartholin’s gland cyst. First, the surgeon makes an incision that is directed from the small lip. Making an incision in the reverse order is a rather dangerous undertaking, since in this part of the body the mucous membrane is especially sensitive. The entrance to the vagina, which is lined just with a mucous layer, quickly becomes thinner due to the negative impact of the disease. With the correct cut, the borders of the edges diverge by only a couple of millimeters.
Further, the husking algorithm is saved as follows:
- The incised tissue is removed with the help of Pean’s clamps and gauze swabs.
- The contents are squeezed out carefully.
- The risk of cyst rupture is controlled, which is easy to do when monitoring the situation, accurate cutting and maintaining the same pace of the operation.
If you reduce the set rate, then the likelihood of contamination of the open wound surface increases significantly. The final stage involves seams that are applied in the amount of two pieces.
It is extremely important to pay attention to the fact that during husking, the victim loses a lot of blood, so it is important to constantly monitor the situation. To reduce the load, it is enough just to bandage the branches that are weakening from hemorrhage. For venous wounds, tourniquets are used, which must completely cover the bed.
After applying the tourniquets, it will be necessary to remove the submerged sutures, and at the very end, the Peana clamps are removed. It remains to wait for the retraction of the epidermis so that the wound decreases.
The doctor fixes the incisions and the wound itself with vicryl.
You should prepare for a rather long rehabilitation period. In addition to the standard swelling of the vulva, you will have to come to terms with the fact that the external genital organs will be surrounded by a hematoma. There may be soreness and slight discharge.
In the future, you will need to take preventive measures to prevent a recurrence. We are talking about a general increase in immunity, as well as a redoubled effort thrown into personal hygiene.